Do You Trust Me? Will You Follow Me?
by ThoughtfulTikal
Summary: Amy wants to love Sonic, Sonic wants to have his freedom, Rouge believes that she understands that freedom, and Shadow will do anything it takes to upset the blue hedgehog. Everyone is out for something different, but will have to realize that sometimes they can't stay up with their personal agendas.
1. Chapter 1

_For Sonic, nothing was better than enjoying the clear blue skies, fresh air, and beautifully exotic scenery on his birthplace, Christmas Island. Flowers he'd picked up and smelled carried lovely fragrances that were enough to light up a smile on his peach muzzle._

_Now the hedgehog was laying on a small hill resting with both arms behind his head. He exhaled some of the island's sweet tropical air and let out a relaxed sigh. The heat beaming down from the sun felt pleasant to his royal blue fur and bare peach skin. All of this was a great way to vacation after stopping so many of Dr. Eggman's ridiculous schemes. That guy came up with a way to stop Sonic almost every day of the year._

_Rouge was gliding above Christmas Island in search of a rare topaz she'd heard about through the grapevine. Other CIA agents at GUN Headquarters. She'd rushed out of the lobby as soon as the words "jewels" came from someone's mouth and flew to Christmas Island even if she wasn't familiar with it. As a treasure huntress, Rouge had grown to be used to exploring new places and taking on dangerous risks. _

_Sonic could use his vast imagination to form these clouds he was looking at into anything his heart so desired. One ball of white just so happened to look like a hand, while another took the fair resemblance of a Chaos Emerald._

_"So this is what you do?"_

_Sonic looked up and found Knuckles's rival standing behind him with one hand placed to her curvaceous hip. He wasn't expecting her to show up, but not like it bothered him._

_"Yep." Sonic rose from the ground and moved his sights to the open green plains that were far off in the distance. "I love chilling like this and enjoying the scenery."_

_"Not as fun as stealing jewels."_

_Sonic looked back at Rouge and saw the honesty in her face besides hearing her definite tone; it brought a tiny smile to his lips. "There's more to enjoyment than finding treasure."_

_"Sure there's enjoyment in getting jewels! You should give it a try, Big Blue." A smirk found its way on Rouge's beautiful face. She knew exactly what she was saying, and by the look of Sonic's grin, the bat knew her words failed. Still, it was fun playing like this._

_"Heh heh. This hero lives by his own rules."_

_"I know what you mean," Rouge also stared off into the distance herself with crossed arms. "It's nice to not have someone ordering you around."_

_"You can say that again... not having someone keep you from following your own path."_

_"You're able to do just about anything you want._

_"Sometimes you feel like-"_

_"You're just-"_

_"Free..." Sonic and Rouge realized that their words came out at the same tone and rhythm. They stared into each others' eyes confusedly and wondered why they each had the same thoughts, as if they'd invented a new language that could only be spoken between them._

_Sonic feel nervous all of a sudden. "Uhh... heh heh," the hedgehog rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Oops, my bad."_

_"No, don't take the fault."_

_"Do you trust me?" _

_Her mouth fell open a bit as Sonic extended his gloved hand for her to take. From his eyes, he looked intent on receiving an answer._

_"Do I trust you about what?"_

_"I know a place on this island with an awesome view. Maybe its time you took a break from jewels and see what other beauties Earth has to offer." Sonic's smile enlarged to one of more friendliness and warmth. In hopes that this Bat Girl would accept his offer._

_"Sure." Slowly, Rouge placed her dainty gloved hand in Sonic's and looked up at him with a convincing smile. "Would this special spot of yours happen to have any treasure now?_

_"I'll let you know if I happen to see one." _

_All the while that Sonic and Rouge started walking across the green plains, was the moment Sonic didn't look up at the clouds to see what his imagination could've unveiled. The hand and Chaos Emerald clouds moved closer together as if the hand overlapped the Chaos Emerald and finally nabbed it._

_The great view that Sonic spoke of was more than Rouge expected to see. From where they stood, thousands of flowers down below in the flower fields gave off a rainbow effect with their different shades and the way they were planted together. It went on and on like this, and so Rouge wondered how far these flower fields stretched along the horizon._

_As beautiful as these flower fields were, it wasn't the only extravagance about Christmas Island. Sonic wanted to show Rouge other areas, so they cut through the flower fields unto a farther destination._

_"So, wasn't this a great view or what?"_

_"It was okay," Rouge confessed, "Still, it doesn't compare to gems or Chaos Emeralds."_

_"Then it looks like I'll have to take you to the best place on this island," Sonic smirked._

_This statement alone intrigued Rouge somehow. She would've loved to see just what Sonic thought could leave her in utter amazement. "The best place, huh? Now I'm interested."_

_"When we get there, you'll have to think twice about saying it doesn't compare to Chaos Emeralds."_

_"Oh, will I? We'll see about that, Big Blue."_

_Like before, the sort of place that Sonic led Rouge to wasn't to be underestimated. Behind them, the sun was lowering to meet with the horizon. The skies became painted with warm, romantic oils of orange, pink, red, yellow, and red-violet. Soon it would be nightfall._

_"Here we are." Sonic stopped in front of a gushing waterfall that sparkled in the sunset."Does this still compare to your gems?"_

_Suddenly, Sonic started forgetting his question as he watched Rouge's pretty eyes almost come out of her head. Had he built up too much excitement in her? _

_"Yes!" Rouge exclaimed with her hands clasped together, "This is the place I was looking for! That special Topaz I heard about has to be in there! I think I'll start coming to you if I need help finding jewels." Rouge sent Sonic an eye wink then started flying towards the waterfall and making her way in to its secret cave._

_Sonic sped up and ran in after Rouge to see her nab this special Topaz jewel. "Well whadda you know? This spot does have treasure." _

* * *

_Anywhere you wanna go, anything you need to know, all the best in life, I wanna get it for you. _

A female treasure hunter, Rouge the Bat, heard this line somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where. The beginning of this tune started with drum beats, followed by a solo on an electric guitar. She hadn't the slightest idea why she couldn't remember it.

_Lately I just feel so fine, I imagine that you're mine. In my world, you're gold. I only wanna protect you._

Wait a minute... the Bat Girl recognized this song! She'd heard it play a few times on the radio station inside her place, Club Rouge. She couldn't control what songs that pop radio station broadcasted, but there was another explanation that made her familiar with this special song. Pinky.

"Whatever I want, I get! I want shooting stars! Whatever I need, I have when I'm with you!" Amy sang this song to herself as she pushed her grocery cart through the Station Square Supermarket. "Follow me inside, outside, through the stratosphere. The moon is shining for you, it knows that I adore you. Suddenly all the sadness will just slip away, and you will see what I mean, if you just follow me in my dreams!" Amy simply adored this song.

Rouge didn't bother to try figuring it out, but one thing she knew was that this song was downright annoying! How could a 12-year old girl like Amy find it interesting? She didn't know anything about love. Her girlish antics in pursuing Sonic demonstrated that anyway. This was why Rouge liked teasing her, because Amy didn't have the same understanding Rouge had. If Amy didn't have her cheerful personality, so many friends, or care and attention like she always had, then she'd be like Rouge. Rouge was sure of this.

After buying everything she needed from the supermarket, Amy Rose took her brown paper groceries out of the cart then began her way down the street, humming the rest of the words to that same song. She never missed a word. The pink hedgehog looked up as a huge shadow darkened the road she was walking along. She looked up with the instinct to take action and find wherever her blue hero was, but it was just a false alarm. Just a giant blimp. Eggman and his Final Fortress had been taken care of.

"Phew!" After a long day, Amy closed her apartment door, set down her groceries, then looked around at her pink and blue home. She lived here alone and invited Cream and Big over for dessert sometimes, and that was it; everyone else was too busy. No one else had time for the Rosy Rascal. Well she hated it when they left her behind.

_Knock knock knock!_

Immediately, Amy Rose turned around and twisted the doorknob open. "Sonic!" As her front door creaked open,the prince of her dreams showed up with a nervous look on his face.

"Amy!" Sonic fought to break free from the tight hug that Amy placed around him. If the hedgehog was the decision-maker, then he wouldn't even be here. But Rouge convinced him to pick up this girl as if they were going out on a date. Talk about doing a friend a favor.

"Did you come to pick me up for the party at Club Rouge tonight?"

"Uhh, yeah. Rouge says the party starts soon, so she asked me to swing by here and see if you wanted to go."

"Sure I'll go!" Amy would be glad to accept this invitation of Rouge's. "Just let me grab my coat."

Sonic watched his self-proclaimed girlfriend hurry towards her bedroom to grab a pretty red coat. Then, after slipping it on while returning to Sonic, they both went out the door and out into the cold, brisk evening.

* * *

Different sounds from people's' chatter, their laughter, pinball machines, and slot machines could be heard inside this bright, lit up place that Rouge owned and stayed in; classy jazz music blared from the radio speakers and people were crowded everywhere. Her hedgehog guests made their way into her club and so she flew over to the entrance to greet them. "Hi, lovebirds. Welcome to Club Rouge."

Amy's jaw dropped as she looked around at the different features that Rouge's establishment had to offer. Pinball tables, slot machines, bingo tables, and a food court. "Wow! This place is like, so awesome!" Before anyone else could speak, Amy grabbed Sonic and dragged him over to the food court.

Sonic found himself in front of a slot machine and was asked to start it for Amy the first time. He watched three Sonics appear on the slots and congratulate him with 30 rings.

"Good, job, Sonic! Now I'll try." Amy Rose took hold of the reel and pulled it down to see if she could get herself 30 rings.

"Hey, Big Blue."

"Hm?" Sonic looked back and noticed Rouge standing some ways away from him. She had her arms folded then started walking towards him.

Amy's slots didn't ended up like she'd planned, so the girl pulled the lever again.

"You don't look like you're enjoying yourself. Why the long face?"

"Nah, I'm feelin' okay. Just tired." Sonic along with Rouge turned to Amy as they heard the girl squeal when she got three Sonics show up and the slot machine coughed up her 30 rings.

"I got 30 rings!" Amy started happily bagging up her rings and sharing with Sonic how excited she was about it.

"You know there are other games besides these slot machines, Big Blue," Rouge placed a playful grip around Sonic's arm.

"Sonic doesn't need a tour, Rouge," Amy said with her petite arms crossed, "I was about to take him with me to check out the pinball machines."

"Oh, it won't be so bad if I steal your date for a bit."

Amy growled as time went by and Rouge didn't let go of Sonic and he never moved to part his lips. Though unexpectedly, she calmed down when Rouge let Sonic go; Amy was too relieved about having Sonic in her possession to wonder why Rouge released him, and Rouge knew that would happen, because it'd occurred so many times before. This Amy Rose was so innocent and naïve.

After so long, the opening hours for Club Rouge ended and so all of its guests went home. The party that'd been held today was so wonderful, Rouge was sure to have received a ton of cash since so many people came and played her business's games. Now, the independent bat was laying in her bed with both arms behind her head. She looked up at the ceiling and started thinking about how she got to where she was today.

_I was searching everywhere, suddenly I saw you there, and my love arrived, just in the nick of time. _What could the writer to this song have been thinking? To Rouge, it sounded so... so transparent, so cliché. When did anyone ever find the star of their scene? Amy Rose, who loved this song, was letting it shape her life. She was wasting her time with trying to win Sonic's attention... Rouge could say she knew Sonic's heart better than she did.


	2. Chapter 2

"Life floats on the movie screen, you're the star of my scene, live on the edge of the knife, larger than life. Whatever I want, I get, no one could take your place. Whenever I need, I have when I see your face!" Singing the rest of her song oh so happily, Amy was in her kitchen cooking a fine dinner. There was roasted turkey, cakes, cookies, pies, any and every buffet dish that Sonic loved. He always enjoyed her different dishes. "Follow me inside, outside, through the stratosphere. The moon is shining for you, it knows that I adore you."

This was why Rouge teased the younger girl by flirting with Sonic. She found it amusing that someone so sharp and intuitive like Amy Rose wasn't able to see that she wasn't clearly thinking straight. Her heart meant well, she held good intentions about if she got to become Sonic's true girlfriend one day, but it was all in her head. Sonic wasn't going to take a rest stop and slow down for her. Those who had free spirits weren't easily tamed and their dreams and ambitions outweighed what anyone else thought they should do. Why did anyone ever think Knuckles never liked the way Sonic showed off? This was because Sonic's freedom became too much for him to contain and sometimes that kind of power made his arrogance spring forth.

Rouge was exactly the same way, except she was selfish and vain because the things she looked for in life were materialistic.

_Suddenly all the sadness will just slip away..._

She set everything down on the table and neatly laid out the napkins, drinking glasses, and utensils. Tonight was going to be perfect! Dollied and all prettied up in her fluffy blue dress, Amy heard the expected knock at her door and went to answer it. "Thank you for coming over tonight, Sonic."

His mouth fell open as he looked around at all the food that Ames made. This was like a heaven-sent buffet. Really! The hedgehog looked to see her go over to the filled table and urge him to come over to it with her sweet smile and welcoming eyes.

Each hedgehogs' forks clanked against their plates as they began eating, or at least Sonic's did. Amy wasn't touching her plate, but only watching him with her charming face cupped into her hands.

... _and you will see what I mean, if you just follow me in my dreams._

She wanted the Blue Blur to follow her for a change, so he could see how much she really admired and cared for him. "Do you like all of this food I've made for you, Sonic?"

"Huh?" Sonic looked up and swallowed another bite of pie. "Oh, yeah! This is all really delicious. You did great."

"Thanks! I can't wait to go on our next date."

Uhh..." Sonic grew nervous at this bold suggestion and tried excusing his way out of it. "Well, Tails and I made plans."

"Plans about what?"

Sonic tried answering this question, but Amy became upset and started fussing about how she went out of her way to cook this nice dinner for him and that he wasn't appreciating it.

_Follow me inside, outside, through the stratosphere. The moon is shining for you, it knows that I adore you._

_Slam!_

Sonic jumped at how hard his self-proclaimed slammed her door. She'd kicked him out by saying sometimes he could be so immature and never sense when a girl tried to address him. Well was he ever supposed to?

_Suddenly all the sadness will just slip away and you will see what I mean if you just follow me in my dreams._

No. Sonic was already chasing after his own dreams. The hedgehog respected Amy for wanting to be faithful, loyal, and dependable, but he wasn't looking for those things.

* * *

"Do you ever wonder how long you'll be here?" Rouge asked Knuckles the Echidna.

"No. I'll guard this emerald for as long as I have to, and make sure not to let dirty thieves like you get hands on it."

"Oh, Knuckie, do we really need to have this discussion every time I come visit? I could snatch your precious emerald with my hands tied behind my back."

"Riiiiiight." Knuckles didn't believe any of those words for a second. Rouge was his treasure-hunt rival and so these two were always facing each other when it came to jewels or other special treasures. "Sonic?"

Not expecting the blue hedgehog to show up either, Rouge turned around and saw Sonic speed towards them then say hi. "Hiya, Big Blue. Isn't it past your bed time?"

"Hey, Sonic." Knuckles got up and walked down the Master Emerald Altar to greet his other rivaled-friend; the echidna noticed something different and unusual about them. "Hey, what's with that face? Normally, you're wearing a grin or cracking some joke."

"Yeah," Rouge also stepped over to Sonic, "What's got the World's Fastest Hedgehog slowed down?" Rouge, along with Knuckles listened to Sonic explain how Amy invited him over for dinner then flipped out because he told her he might not be able to take her out on another date. "Well, that's what happens when you get too much of a girl's hopes up."

Knuckles snorted at Rouge's personal remark and turned to face her. "Aren't you a girl?"

"No!" Rouge replied with a much offended tone, "I'm a woman. When I was that age, I acted that age. Now, I don't behave like a little girl. I put those childish things away."

After coming to acknowledge what was just said, Knuckles looked back at Sonic and crossed his arms. "Well, Sonic, you've done it now. You played with Amy's heart, so now she's angry and the rest of us will never hear the end of it."

"I didn't play with her heart. Amy doesn't think before she speaks. Besides, you never have girls constantly chasing you down, Knuckles, so how could you possibly know what I go through every day?"

"You're right. I don't deal with that same thing, and I'm glad I don't. Long as I'm able to live in peace and keep the Master Emerald safe, I don't need anyone."

"Hm hm hm..." Rouge giggled at what her rival just said as she could relate to it. Why would either of them need anyone when they were fully independent and conscious of what they wanted out of life? "You boys are funny."

Knuckles and Sonic turned to Rouge as the bat gave this vague sentence.

"What was that, Bat Girl?" Knuckles grew irritated as she didn't give them the response they were expecting.

Rather than be upset like Knuckles, Sonic stared at Rouge with a most puzzled look on his face. He wanted to know what the bat was saying too.

When she finally had the words she wanted to say, Rouge leaned her face close to Sonic's ear and gently laid her hands on his back and shoulder, making him nervous. "When a guy wants to be in love, he doesn't pick a girl. Instead, he chooses the woman because she wants more." Rouge moved away from Sonic and saw that she'd left a fair blush on his cheeks.

Knuckles frowned suspiciously at this, and when Rouge began to leave and winked at Sonic before flying away, the echidna became annoyed. "Sonic! Don't tell me something's going on between you and Rouge!"

"What?" Sonic's whole face started glowing like the red Chaos Emerald.

"You and I both know what kind of person she is!"

"Knuckles, it's not like that! Me and Rouge? Give me a break!" The redness on Sonic's face went away and he tried his best to calm down. "You really don't trust people that well."

"People hurt and lie to you. People don't keep their word and sometimes they fail you. I mean, look at what happened today with Amy."

Sonic thought back to Amy and what happened while he was in her apartment chowing down her delicious dinner. Everything started so well until she mentioned the possibility of another date. Was Sonic really that wrong for not being able to read girls' emotions?

"But Amy is something else." Knuckles turned around to return to his place in front of the Master Emerald; he sensed Sonic walking up the stairs beside him. "I remember when we were down in Station Square and visited her apartment for the first time, and there was that song that kept playing on her radio. I don't care to remember the lyrics, but its music sounded... flowery."

Sonic wasn't sure what his red friend meant by that word he used to describe this song, but it was true about it playing. It was Ames's theme song.

Sonic and Knuckles's sneakers clicked against the steps as they touched the last one and were now in front of the jewel that kept this whole island afloat. Every time Sonic gazed at it, it reminded him of how huge Knuckles's responsibilities were. Knuckles would definitely not have time for a girlfriend.

Both friends turned around to look at the full moon that hung out in the violet sky tonight. It always looked prettiest in this form because it was at its best and fullest. Knuckles must have made looking at the moon and the stars one of his new hobbies judging from how intently he stared at it.

"From everything you've told me, Sonic, you only have two choices. Kiss and make up with Amy on that next date, or let her cool off and go visit when it's safe."

"Kiss? Ugh, no way! I think I'll just take that your second choice." Sonic heard Knuckles let out a laugh and chuckle so hard that he clutched his sides. "Alright, I think you've had enough laughs for the night."

Knuckles's laughter eventually came to an end regained his breath. "You and Amy really know how to make a guy laugh." The echidna cleared his throat then put his serious demeanor back on. "You really do need to make up with her soon. This can't keep going on forever."

"Don't you think I know that already?" Sonic dealt with Amy's behavior and her personality first- hand. Not even Tails or Cream shared his same experiences. "What am I supposed to do? It's just like Rouge said."

"And what was that?" Knuckles heard Sonic repeat how Rouge said things become bad when you get too much of a girl's hopes up and they become more likely to get disappointed. "Well, stop getting Amy's hopes up."

"I don't do it on purpose. I treat her the same way I treat the rest of you. I don't have favorites."

"Well you know how Amy is. She wants you to make her your favorite. Just look back at all those times she's went out of her way to impress you. And you don't respond to that? In her eyes, that tells her she's not trying hard enough."

Sonic came to understand part of this argument that Knuckles was making. The hedgehog understood what it was like to feel so close to something, to feel like that dream you wanted was already in your reach. He did understand. "Then... there needs to be something that tells her she doesn't need to keep trying."

"And what would that be?"

"Maybe what Ames needs is a different dream to chase after. I dunno."

"Changing your life isn't that simple. Amy's devoted herself to following you ever since you rescued her from Little Planet. That's a pretty long time."

Sonic heaved out a sigh then turned towards Knuckles to gaze at him. "Well, I guess until then, I'll have to keep putting up with her."

"Pretty much." Knuckles noticed his blue friend begin down the staircase. "You're gonna call it a night now?"

"Yeah..." Sonic yawned while stretching his arms. "...Tails planned an expedition to go into space to go see and study different planets in this solar system. You know how I like exploring new places."

"Yeah."

"If you want, I could tell him that one more person wants to take a ride in his ship."

"Nah, maybe next time." Knuckles liked the sound of visiting space, but for now, he just wanted to stay home and continue guarding the Master Emerald. "Tell Tails I said hi."

"Will do. G'night, Knuckle Head."

Immediately, a vein popped up on Knuckles's head. Why did Sonic like calling him that? "Good night, Sonic," the echidna replied with a dry tone.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Tails was in his garage tinkering on his same ship that was to take him and Sonic above into outer space. But for some reason, the genius found an issue with one of this vehicle's fuel boosters. So as he heard Sonic come in through the front door and greet him, he gave the hedgehog this bad news.

"What? Well, don't sweat it, Tails. We could always go to outer space another day. I know you'll be able to figure out what's wrong with it sooner or later."

"I planned our expedition to outer space to be for two weeks tops. Ever since we stopped Metal Overlord and Doctor Eggman, there hasn't been much going on lately. What'll we do until I fix my ship's fuel boosters?"

"I dunno. There's a lot we can do. We just gotta look around and see what there is."

"Did you ever go to Station Square and make up with Amy?"

Sonic's heart almost skipped a beat when his best friend pinned this question on him. "No... have you talked to her today?"

"Yeah, she invited me and Cream to go with her and Shadow to Twinkle Park."

"Shadow? Wonder how she managed to get him to cooperate. Why wasn't I invited?"

"That's the same I was wondering." Tails looked at Sonic and saw how worried he'd become about this new puzzling situation. It wasn't at all like Amy to leave Sonic out of anything, because he was her everything. "Maybe you should go and find out why she didn't invite you. Uh oh... Sonic, I just remembered something. There's a perk to Twinkle Park."

"A perk?" Sonic thought longer on this word then found himself feeling no need to be worried. He'd been to this galactic amusement park dozens of times, so what perk was there? It was like any other place he'd went to during his staged adventures. But once he heard what Tails said... all of that positiveness went away. "What? I've never heard of that! I go there all the time and the ticket man never brings it up!"

"Well that's what Amy told me. So that's why I asked Cream to tag along with me. We don't have jobs so there wouldn't be any way that we have money to pay for tickets."

Now totally frustrated, Sonic put his gloved hand to his forehead and made a sigh. "What's Amy thinking? I don't have anyone to take with me, let alone cash!" It was at this second that Sonic started thinking of girls who he could ask to possibly go with him to Twinkle Park. And after thinking up so many names, he heard Tails suggest to him one that seemed the most unusual.

"What about Rouge?"

"Rouge?" Sonic's mind went to this seductive bat. She was an eligible candidate, but... not the wisest choice. "You think I should ask her?"

"Well, she's the only girl we know who lives in this area." Tails heard the way this idea was affecting Sonic and started wishing that he hadn't mentioned Rouge. "I'm sorry, Sonic. Maybe we should forget about this."

"And not investigate what Amy might be up to? Not a chance!" Sonic regained his positive attitude and wagged a finger at Tails. "I'll find a way to play Ames at her own game. Just wait and see!" With this said, Sonic sped out of the room and left Tails a bit more comforted to know that he wasn't going to back down from something that bothered him. So Tails set his tool down and also went out the door.

* * *

Besides hunting for treasure, Rouge the Bat was also a government spy for GUN, Guardian Units of Nation. Walking out of their boss's office with her was her one and only best friend, Shadow the Hedgehog, who also worked for GUN undercover. As this hedgehog's air skates clicked against the gray tiled floor, he watched Rouge greet and speak to other GUN operatives who they walked past as they were on their way out the door and back out into the afternoon sunlight. He didn't care much for socializing and everyone here respected that.

"Shadow, you could at last wave at people and pretend you care," Rouge said to her partner, "Sometimes I wonder what it was that made you join GUN."

"You know why." Shadow didn't feel like going back into the details of how he really became a member of GUN. All that mattered was that if he didn't, then a neutral peace agreement wouldn't be formed between him and GUN. They wouldn't keep their promise about going aboard ARK and trying to investigate whatever the late Professor Gerald might've left behind. After the events of the ARK Cannon and Biolizard, Shadow decided to let go of his past and live among these humans in the world that Maria cared for so much. She wouldn't want him to hold grudges when so much time had passed by since her tragic death.

Shadow ceased his footsteps and was thrown out of his thoughts as he could look some feet before him and see... "That blue hedgehog, of all places..."

"Well isn't this an unexpected surprise!" Rather than be suspicious like Shadow, Rouge walked up to Sonic as he stood out from the humans like a blue Chaos Emerald and say hi to him.

"Hey." Sonic greeted Rouge, unaware of the way Shadow was placing his emotionless gaze on him. Apparently, he'd come here to GUN to invite Rouge to an amusement park that sat across Emerald Coast Hotel near the beautiful, big blue sea. Well why wasn't Shadow invited?

"You want to take me to Twinkle Park?" Rouge asked then put on a dazzling smile, "Sure, I would love to be your date."

"No, i-it's not like that..." Before Sonic could finish explaining himself, he saw Shadow go to Rouge's side and start interrogating him.

"What's all this business about Twinkle Park and dates? What are you up to, Sonic?"

"It's not my idea. Amy's the one in charge of it. I'm just as clueless as you are."

"What did you mean before when you said it's not like a date?" Rouge asked Sonic. The bat then got the answer she wanted. "Ohh, I see. Well, I say we go to Twinkle Park and see how this all turns out. I'll be Sonic's date."

"Then where does that leave me?"

Both Rouge and Sonic turned to Shadow as they heard him say this. They hadn't expected him to want to be apart of this social activity.

"You want to go to Twinkle Park, Shadow?" Rouge asked as if she truly didn't understand the Ultimate Life Form.

"Oh, Shadow's got his admission already. He's Amy's date," Sonic chuckled teasingly. He watched his rival become at a loss of words and stand there with his mouth hanging open.

"What?" Rouge, however, astonished Sonic as she became irritated at the idea of dragging Shadow into this Twinkle Park get-together. "That girl's lost it! She's silly to think Shadow would want to go anywhere with her, especially on a date."

The light bulb in Shadow's head turned on. An unusual but satisfied smile showed on his tanned muzzle. "Hm hm hm... so that's what her plan is. Well then I'll have my own reasons for going to this Twinkle Park." After having these determined thoughts, Shadow looked up and watched his friends keep talking some more.

"I dunno what she's trying to do. She asked Tails and Cream to meet her there today at 3."

"Well, what're we waiting for? It'll be that time soon!" Rouge rushed her hedgehog friends out of GUN's base so that they could arrive to Station Square and not be late for Amy's special event.

* * *

"Weeeeee!" In a cute light-orange car, Cream sped her way along the spiral then continued along the race track until she was back at the finish line with Tails. It'd been so thoughtful of Amy to invite her and Tails to Twinkle Park where they could race and explore Twinkle Park's other areas. Mister Sonic and the others would be happy if they were also here. "Tails? Are Sonic and Mister Knuckles also coming here?"

"Yeah. Sonic will be here soon but I'm not sure if Knuckles will be able to." Tails became uneasy as he thought to how only couples could get in to Twinkle Park for free. Knuckles wasn't that interested to begin with. Who could he possibly bring as his date?

Outside Twinkle Park's entrance, Amy was unconsciously tapping her foot as if she were waiting for someone. How she acted so impatient was most likely from being so influenced by Sonic. She recalled seeing him fold his arms and tap his foot when he was impatient. about something. "It's almost 3 now! Where is he?" Before Amy could ponder on Sonic any longer, she looked up and noticed a familiar trio of detectives making their way towards her. "Huh? I didn't invite you three here."

"Well we were down here for business reasons and we overheard Sonic and that broad, Rouge, talk about this place," answered Vector the Crocodile.

"He's bringing Rouge here?" Amy lost so much of her temper at this point. The pink hedgehog let out an angry growl and fire seemed to glow around her.

"Uh... Amy, take a chill pill. Sonic has to bring someone if he wants ta' get in the park for free," said Charmy the Bee who was clutching on to Vector for dear life.

"He wasn't actually supposed to bring anyone, Charmy!" Amy sighed, "None of you get what I'm trying to say."

"I understand your logic, Amy." Espio noticed Amy turn to him with surprise as if he wasn't capable of understanding her. "You want to make Sonic jealous by making him believe he needs you. Am I right?"

"Wow, Espio. You're an expert at readin' girls. Is that somethin' you've picked up while you're out meditatin' under that waterfall by our place?" Vector asked the magenta chameleon.

"No," Espio blushed lightly, "That's something anyone can learn, Vector. Male or female. Amy, so since we've heard about this special event of yours, Vector, Charmy and I will also go. We won't be needing the "Couples Get In Free" deal because we have cash."

Amy didn't have much to say as she heard Espio make these statements. She just wanted Sonic to hurry over here so she could fuss at him. Nothing more.

"Hey! I think I see Sonic and... his date. Uhh..."

Curious as to why Charmy grew nervous now, his friends and Amy also looked to where he noticed Sonic.

Amy wouldn't stand for this. She watched the confident Sonic and Rouge make their way over to her. Shadow was seen walking beside them with not much care for if Sonic and Rouge came as a couple.

"Hi, Pinky!" Rouge said the peeved hedgehog as they approached her, "We aren't too late to this party of yours, are we?"

A sharp and calculating Espio turned his eyes to Shadow. He didn't have his date with him. Strange...

"I didn't know we had to bring dates," Sonic tried his best to sound excited about this whole ordeal, "But Rouge volunteered to come with me, and here's Shadow."

How did Amy feel about Shadow? She wasn't a fool to know that he would decline her offer about being her date. She'd only said that like she tried explaining to Vector. Her plan was failing.

To everyone's surprise, the Ultimate Life Form brushed past Rouge and went over to Amy, gently placing his arm around her.

"Woah!" Vector muttered under his breath, "What's goin' on here?"

Rouge clenched her teeth and glared straight at Shadow. Was he really participating with Amy in this?

"S-Shadow...!" Slightly blushing, Amy looked over at Shadow and tried looking for the reason for his action through his eyes. In her concocted plan, he was a step ahead of her. She watched him grin at Sonic, who seemed to affected by his intimate gesture. What would her response be?

"What's Shadow doing?" Sonic thought irritably, "It's like him and Amy planned all of this from the get-go!" Another jolt of frustration shot up in Sonic as he watched Amy lay her head on Shadow's shoulder and smile up at him, who then made a fake smile back and stared into Amy's adorable eyes.

"Guys? I'm not so sure if it's a good idea to be here..." said an honest and scared Charmy.

"Are you kidding? I wanna see how this all turns out!" Vector replied, "Isn't that right, Espio?"

"Yeah." Espio would keep his eyes on both of these couples.


	4. Chapter 4

"Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhh!" Amy felt so much adrenaline as she and Shadow made their way across another ramp and flew through the starry Twinkle Park sky. Shadow was the driver behind the wheel and he was professional at maneuvering motor vehicles. His rival on the other hand...

"Watch out!" Rouge grew frantic as she and Sonic were about to run into the back of Tails and Cream. Their kart bumper would be so ruined if that accident came to life. "Sonic the Hedgehog, where did you get your driver's license?"

"Hey, cut me some slack here!" Sonic avoided the possible accident and swerved to the right of Tails and Cream. "I don't use wheels! These race karts are snails compared to me."

"Well it doesn't look like Shadow's having any trouble." Rouge remembered some of those adventures where the black hedgehog gained his driving experience. They been trained to drive GUN devices also. "They're probably having fun with this."

Rouge would see that she was completely wrong if she saw how Shadow and Amy were really feeling. Amy was in fact enjoying herself, but not because of Shadow, but the simple thrill of kart racing. Sonic didn't care if Shadow was a good driver. Big deal!

When Amy looked over to him, she remembered something that she wanted to ask him. "Hey, Shadow? Why are you going along with this?"

Shadow didn't answer for some time, but parted his lips once they reached the finish line and stopped his red cart. "Isn't it obvious? It was your plan for me to be here, so I'm simply going along with it." He soon looked away from Amy as they noticed the rest of their friends drive over to them. Now that everyone had participated in Twinkle Park's Kart Racing, they would head to the next main attraction: Pleasure Castle.

* * *

Cream made a sound of awe as she was so fascinated by the ivory marble walls and red carpet trimmed with gold that ran down the hallways. She could look some ways in front of her and see Charmy and the gang also exploring this wonderful place.

As Espio kept staring and inspecting, he heard Tails mention the roller coaster that went around this castle and the pool that was just outside Pleasure Castle's back entrance. So he and his pals went to go see those things.

"Hey... weren't Sonic, Rouge, Amy, and Shadow all down here a second ago?" Vector asked while looking around for the three hedgehogs and one bat.

"Yeah..." Fluttering with his cute bee wings, Charmy searched for their missing friends too. Pleasure Castle was a big part of Twinkle Park, so there was no telling where they could be... "Tails? You or Cream see where the others went?"

One could hear Sonic growl and ram his fist into the side of the white-bricked wall. He and Rouge were alone, on top of Pleasure Castle's where they could look down and see the pool if they wanted to. The hedgehog opened his fist and let his hand fall to his side. He'd never let himself get so upset like this...

Apparently, Rouge didn't have anything to say about this tempered behavior of his. It wasn't like it was his fault...

"I don't get any of this." Sonic finally turned away from the wall and stepped over to the edge of the floor where Rouge was.

"Yeah? Well neither do I! I can't believe Shadow is somewhere with that... that... that pink brat!"

"Woah, watch the language, Rouge. Amy's not a brat."

"Yes she is! You should know that better than anyone, Sonic." Rouge turned her sights to the grounds below where the Chaotix Detectives were looking at the Pleasure Castle Pool. "That's what all of this is about!"

"Me?"

"Yes, you! Amy's planned this whole day out to try and make you feel bad for throwing her over so that she can finally have you."

"Why is everyone saying that?" Sonic clenched his hands. He'd heard Knuckles talk to him about this, and now he was hearing it, again! "If anyone's thrown over right now, then I feel like I've been thrown to the other side of the galaxy and back!"

"Well so do I! Seeing your best friend with his rival's self-proclaimed girlfriend isn't exactly the easiest thing to accept."

"You could say that again..." Sonic looked down below and watched the way Charmy teased Vector by splashing him with water. The kid didn't care about Vector's reaction, so soon a water fight broke out with Espio sitting away from the pool with his eyes closed and legs crossed. They always had feuds like this. "I still don't get it..." Sonic turned to Rouge, "Why does Shadow want a part in this? He gets nothing out of it."

"I don't know. But whatever it is, he'd better drop the act or... wait, that's it!" Rouge sensed Sonic give her his full attention, so she kept talking. "We could play Shadow and Amy at their own game!"

"Uhh..." Sonic felt his cheeks heat up, "I'm not so sure if I'm up for that."

"C'mon, we did come here as dates after all."

"That was only because couples get in for free."

"Cute couples." Rouge liked the way she put emphasis on the word "cute".

"Well whatever they said. I can't go through with that plan. I just wanna figure out why Shadow's involved and why Amy planned this."

"And just how do you plan on doing that? Going up to her and begging? Not a chance!"

* * *

"Hmm... this amusement park... it looks a lot like outer space." Shadow took in all of the bands of light and faint stars that were spread around Twinkle Park's black skies. He was never told how this place was designed to make them feel like they were in outer space, but he liked gazing at it and being taken back to the days where he lived aboard the ARK.

For as long as Amy thought about Shadow, she still couldn't figure out why he went along with her plan... so willingly. But then the reason dawned on her. The hedgehog rose up from where she was inside one of Pleasure Castle's rooms and walked down its carpeted steps to find Shadow. They'd also secluded themselves and were on Pleasure Castle's highest floor.

Shadow silently looked back to Sonic's love interest as she approached him. By the look on her face, he could tell she had something serious to say.

"Shadow. Did you pretend to be infatuated with me because you knew it would make Sonic jealous?"

"I don't have to explain myself. You claimed me as your date for this party without informing me about it."

"Well..." Amy found herself tumbling over her own words, "That was only because..."

"I can see you don't have an explanation for that."

Angry hot tears started forming at the corners of Amy's eyes and trickled down her rosy cheeks. She hadn't asked for any of this. She just wanted Sonic to realize that he needed her, and that she would always be there for him. _Sniff. _"I just wanted Sonic to notice me." After revealing her white handkerchief and blowing her nose, Amy realized that Shadow was the other hedgehog that she needed to keep in her life. He wasn't carefree or playful like Sonic, but he had things that Sonic didn't have, that Amy needed.

* * *

Once everyone felt like they spent enough time in Pleasure Castle, they reunited in front of it to decide how they would spend the rest of the day.

"Going inside Pleasure Castle was so nice, Amy! I felt like I was in a fairytale. What will we do next?"

"Well, Cream, I was actually wondering where Sonic and Rouge went." Amy looked to her left, then to her right. Her, Cream, Shadow, Tails, and the Chaotix Detectives were here, so why weren't Sonic and Rouge back yet? From out nowhere though, the pink girl saw Sonic approach them from inside Pleasure Castle's main hall... with Rouge holding his arm! What was this?

"Woah." This time, it was Charmy's turn to be blown away. He, Vector, and Espio's visit her to Twinkle Park was getting more and more dramatic by the second. Now Sonic and Rouge were seeing each other! "Hey guys, I think it's time we call it a day and split."

"Agreed." Espio had seen enough. The chameleon could leave on a sympathetic note, that Amy shouldn't let the things far out of her reach make her stumble, and Sonic should learn to be more considerate and open to Amy's feelings because girls were such gentle and emotional creatures.

"Well alright! Besides, I forgot ta' pay the electric bill." Vector never was a homeowner who remembered all of his bills' due dates. Call him forgetful. So now, just Tails and Cream were left with these unlikely couples.

"Sonic!" Amy ran away from Shadow and scared Sonic as she practically invaded his personal space.

"Uhh... Amy..."

"Why is Rouge holding your arm like that?"

Feeling that she sensed an opportunity, Rouge placed her head on Sonic's shoulder. "What does it look like? We're having our date, aren't we, Big Blue?" Rouge turned her eyes to Sonic's and looked into his eyes for support. "Shouldn't you be with your date, Pinky?"

Shadow frowned upon hearing this and glared at Rouge. He didn't like the sound of her tone. Gladly, he reunited with Amy and ever so gently... _kiss_...

Sonic gawked at what he just saw. Shadow's lips brushed... against Amy's cheek. Even Rouge didn't seen this coming. The bat was upset now.

"Hey Cream, I-I think we'd better get going now." Tails hurriedly ushered Cream away from Pleasure Castle and back to the Twinkle Park's entrance. They weren't sure what was going on between Sonic and Amy, but now Shadow and Rouge had been jumbled into it and an all-out fight was going to break out. Their sneakers clicking against the concrete were the only things that could be heard as silence reigned over the much tense atmosphere.

Amy couldn't speak as she'd recieved this tender kiss from Shadow like this. She put her hand to her pinkish hot cheeks and looked at Sonic appeared ready to pound someone's face in. This wasn't the dream she'd asked for...

"That's it!" Sonic's face became red and he balled up his fists, "You want a face-off, Shadow? Well alright, bring it on!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Without hesitating, Shadow leapt back up to the top of Pleasure Castle while his rival did the same.

"Shadow!" Amy cried out.

"Sonic!" Rouge yelled after the blue hedgehog but he never turned around for her. All of this was Amy's fault! "This is all your fault! If you could just see that he's not interested!"

Amy woke up from her sort of trance and heard Rouge was disrespecting her. "Sonic does care about me!" The hedgehog revealed her Piko Piko Hammer, "I've had enough of you teasing me and meddling with my Sonic! Just leave us alone!"

Rouge watched as Amy charged towards her with that huge hammer; if the bat didn't know better, she would say the Piko Piko Hammer was just as big as Amy.

Beginning their battle, Sonic and Shadow both curled into spiny balls and repeatedly sent Homing Attacks at each other. Everytime they touched, sparks of blue and red came from their collision. They were serious about this battle, serious about finally drawing their competitiveness to an end by letting their strengths do the talking.

Sonic was never one to want to settle things this way. He always considered Shadow as a friend, but Shadow pushed him to the brink this time by using one of the people he cared for most to annoy him. Was the Blue Blur any better though? He'd irritated Shadow by getting close to Rouge, even if he hadn't mean to irritate him. This bat was one of the only few people who Shadow expressed his cares for, and so he wouldn't let her be involved with someone who he felt was beneath him.

Shadow landed on the ground after breaking away from his opponent. "You've worked my temper for the last time, Sonic! Now we'll really see who the faker is!"

"Is that what all of this is about?" An arrogant grin broke out on Sonic's face.

"Hmph." Shadow put on the same smile himself, "This is what it's always been about. You and I never had the chance to settle the score. Except now I have more of a reason to finally knock you down." The Ultimate Life Form dashed at Sonic with full speed. "I hope you're ready, Faker!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Sonic followed suit and began towards the Black Blur. Just in the middle of clashing with his opponent, he heard a much familiar battle cry. "Amy?"

_Bam!_

Shadow, watching Sonic fall to the ground, took delight in this easy victory and crossed his arms. "Hmph. You shouldn't have let your guard down." Shadow also was curious about that battle cry. He raced away from Sonic and found Amy and Rouge to be having their own one-on-one duel. "What?"

Amy swung her hammer at her target but missed. She tried again and watched them move to throw a Screw Kick at her. Just as it was too late for Amy to dodge and she was close to being attacked, a black blur came to her rescue and held Rouge back by standing in the middle.

"Enough!" Shadow's roaring voice brought Rouge back to the ground, "There's no reason why the two of you should be fighting!"

"Shadow, this doesn't concern you!"

"You ignorant bat, this does concern me!" With his still angry glare, Shadow turned to Amy. He saw hurt, betrayed things in those jade-green eyes. "And as for you, Amy, you'd best go home and forget all of this! You've caused enough trouble for one day!"

From on top of Pleasure Castle, Sonic finally got up and started walking towards the cliff to notice that Shadow was down there with Amy and Rouge. From what he could tell, they'd had some kind of heated argument and now Amy was running away in tears.


End file.
